A townhouse built in 1980 has outlets in two bathrooms sharing a circuit with an outdoor receptacle. The GFCI is in the outdoor receptacle, so if you trip it in the bathroom you have to go outside to reset.
Does this meet codes, either in 1980 or currently (2008 NEC)? It seems a bit ridiculous to have to go outside, but am interested in the legal/safety standpoint.
My house built in 1980 is this way. I like it. No light in the bathroom I know it has been tripped.
I think it's with in code. But if it's a problem just move the GFI to one of the inside outlets.
You have not been able to put a bathroom on with the outside outlet in this century. (changed in 1993 or 96 I think)
BTW the fix?
Move the wires going out of the GFCI outside from LOAD to LINE, then install a GFCI in each of the bathrooms
I dont know about the code in this matter, but that is about the stupidest wiring I've ever heard of......
As for safety, I dont see any problem, but it's very stupid! What happens if a snow drift covers that outdoor box in the winter and you lose power in the bathrooms? (Was the electrician a drug user or alcoholic?)
It would appear that the outdoor recep is the source. If so, remove the wires to the bathrooms from the GFI, connect them directly to the source (feed) wires in that box. Then install a separate GFI's in each bathroom. Problem solved for the cost or 2 GFI outlets and a hours work.
Both the electrician and the inspector were drinking a case of beer that day. My house is grouped that way, but the opposite. The bathroom has the GFCI and controls the outdoor receptacle.
I cannot imaging going out in the snow to reset it. I'd put in a GFCI breaker.
Yes, it was perfectly legal back then. As the Nec requirements for ground fault protection evolved, electricians, cheap ones at least, found the least expensive ways to accomplish the task and meet code. In those situations you will typically find the one ground fault used, is at the closest gfci required location to the service panel. At that time, the only required GFCI locations that "should" be on that circuit are: unfinished basement, outside, garage,not including ceiling receptacle, and bathrooms, so it's not a big deal to do as gfretwell said and replace all of them with gfci receptacles. You have to relocate the load wires on the outside, existing gfci unit, as he specified, to the line side of the device.
*I see that quite often except that the GFI is usually located in one of the bathrooms. Sometimes the garage receptacle is also connected to the same GFI. It was code compliant in 1980 and safe as long as the GFI is working properly. The current electrical code does not permit such an arrangement.
Good point. "Back in the day" when GFIs (note old name mnemonic ) were expensive, it was "smart" to do it that way. But now their so cheap (can you say China?), it's stupid not to put multiple GCFIs.
The usual arrangement at least in new construction I saw back then was to put the GFI in the bathroom and then daisy chain to another bathroom and then outside. Its a lot easier to see and reset a GFI at a higher location on an inside wall.
Definitely meets code. They did it that way because GFI outlets were ~ $50 in 1980 dollars.
Everyone I have ever seen was done as you described. Who wants to go outside and crouch down in the rain or snow to reset a GFI?
You like trudging outside, after you just took a shower, to reset the GFCI? You're weird.
Why? It was legal. The inspector had no reason to fail it. Dumb but not illegal.
gfretwell has a better plan; put a GFCI outlet in each location (with the load side unconnected on each). I had a GFCI breaker in a situation just like that. It was a PITA to go outside to reset the breaker. If the panel had been in the basement, it wouldn't have been much less of a pain.
May not be possible depending on how the circuit is run. I'm guessing it was done that way because the cable goes from the panel to the outside recep and then hits the bathrooms. OP could replace the GFCI recep with a standard recep, then replace the breaker with a GFCI breaker. Or rewire...
nate
Outside recep is required to be GFCI protected as well. A previous poster suggested moving the wires on that GFCI from "load" to "line" that would be acceptable. Now that I think about it, buying two more GFCIs is probably cheaper than buying a single GFCI breaker, depending on OP's breaker box.
nate
My guess, with the age of the house, is there was no GFCI originally installed and someone decided they needed protection when usin g a hedge trimmer or whatever - and added the GFCI outlet.
Legal does not make it right. The inspector has the ability to lean on someone that is stupid and he should have. Tradesman want happy inspectors because they have to deal with them all the time.
Best way is to do it right the first time.
That's not usually a choice.
That's exactly what I said. I did not say to remove the outdoor GFI.
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